Tensions between the band grew during the production in 1970 of their first album, Hark! The Village Wait to the point where they never again worked together after its completion, but the music itself shows no signs of these difficulties. While having a rock sensibility there is a greater sense of the authentic folk tradition than even in the best of Fairport, and a particular beauty arising from the two pairs of voices. The Woods being replaced by admired folk stalwart Martin Carthy, with violinist Peter Knight to widen the musical textures, the group late in 1970 recorded their most admired record Please to see the King. Ten Man Mop followed in 1971, more accomplished but generally felt to be less exciting. The expensive gatefold sleeve swallowed the band's royalties, and was referred to as a tombstone, since Hutchings and Carthy then left, to pursue Hutchings' new vision of a specifically English strand of folk rock with The Albion Band, and Steeleye Mk 2 folded.
However the inclusion of the less celebrated and more rock orientated replacements Rick Kemp and Bob Johnson led to the most commercially successful phase in the band's existence, vocalist Maddy Prior becoming the primary focus of the band, and a run of well received albums, from Below the Salt and Now we Are Six, their first with drummer Nigel Pegrum, to their eighth, and most commercially successful, All Around my Hat, in 1975.
Still active, they have a claim to be one of the longest-lived and perhaps the most commercially successful of all the folk rock bands of the era, thanks to their hit singles Gaudete and All Around My Hat, 3 top 40 albums and even a certified "gold" record with All Around My Hat.
Tim Hart died of lung cancer on 24 December 2009, aged 61.
Blackleg Miner
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the blackleg miner creeps to work,
With his moleskin pants and dirty shirt,
There goes the blackleg miner.
Well, he grabs his duds and down he goes,
To hew the coal that lies below,
There's not a woman in this town row
Will look at the blackleg miner.
They rub wet clay in the blackleg's face,
And around the heaps they run a footrace
To catch the blackleg miner.
And even down near the Seghill mine,
Across the way they stretch a line
To catch the throat, to break the spine
Of the dirty blackleg miner.
They grabbed his duds, his picks as well,
And they hoy them down the pit of hell,
Down you go, we pay you well,
You dirty blackleg miner.
It's in the evening after dark
That the blackleg miner creeps to work,
With his moleskin pants and dirty shirt,
There goes the blackleg miner.
So join the union while you may,
Don't wait 'til your dying day
For that may not be far away,
You dirty blackleg miner.
The Blackleg Miner is a traditional folk song that Steeleye Span released in 1970. The lyrics tell the story of the "blackleg miner," a man who works as a scab during a coal miner strike. He sneaks out at night to work in the mines while other miners are on strike. The lyrics describe how he is ostracized by the community, particularly the women, who refuse to even look at him. The song goes on to describe the brutal treatment that blackleg miners often received at the hands of striking miners. In the area described in the song, Delaval, the striking miners would rub wet clay in the blackleg's face, and a footrace was organized around the heaps to catch him. At another coal mine, the Seghill mine, a line was stretched across the way to catch the blackleg miner by the throat and break his spine. The song ends with a warning to coal miners to join the union before it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
It's in the evening after dark
The events in this story happen at night.
When the blackleg miner creeps to work,
The miner sneaks to work.
With his moleskin pants and dirty shirt,
He's wearing worn-out clothes.
There goes the blackleg miner.
The miner is heading to work.
Well, he grabs his duds and down he goes,
He picks up his belongings and heads down to work.
To hew the coal that lies below,
He is going to mine the coal below the ground.
There's not a woman in this town row
No woman will look at him or acknowledge him.
Will look at the blackleg miner.
The people in town refuse to associate with him.
Oh, Delaval is a terrible place,
Delaval is an awful location with bad people.
They rub wet clay in the blackleg's face,
The miners are cruel to the blackleg and smear clay on his face.
And around the heaps they run a footrace
The miners taunt and chase the blackleg.
To catch the blackleg miner.
They are trying to physically catch him.
And even down near the Seghill mine,
Even at the Seghill mine location,
Across the way they stretch a line
The miners use a rope to string across the way.
To catch the throat, to break the spine
The rope is intended to injure the blackleg's throat or spinal cord.
Of the dirty blackleg miner.
The miners have a strong hatred towards the blackleg.
They grabbed his duds, his picks as well,
They take away his belongings and equipment.
And they hoy them down the pit of hell,
They throw them down a deep mine shaft.
Down you go, we pay you well,
They are telling the blackleg that he can go down the mine and work as long as they pay him.
You dirty blackleg miner.
They insult and taunt the blackleg.
It's in the evening after dark
This repeats the beginning of the song.
That the blackleg miner creeps to work,
The miner sneaks to work.
With his moleskin pants and dirty shirt,
He's wearing worn-out clothes.
There goes the blackleg miner.
This repeats what was stated before.
So join the union while you may,
The song is recommending that he join the union before it's too late.
Don't wait 'til your dying day
You shouldn't wait until you're on your deathbed.
For that may not be far away,
Death could come at any time.
You dirty blackleg miner.
The song ends by insulting the blackleg once again.
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Ben - Moderator
on Bonny Moorhen
Hi Stuart, We have corrected the description above.
Stuart Tartan
on Bonny Moorhen
This description of the song completely misses the point in every way. It IS NOT about a bird.
It is an allegorical Jacobite-era song about Bonny Prince Charlie (the bonny moorhen). The colours mentioned, for instance, are the colours of the Clan Stuart tartan.